The legend he has probably been the second most influential rock drummer of all time behind John Bonham. I love everything about his playing his consistancy is second to none every note is played as intended the stick is the same height from the head the attacking angle the same. A machine he flows seamlessly through odd time and complicated multi time patterns. I noticed very early on long before I thought of becoming a drummer that there was something special about his playing he really took the progressive styling to a whole new level. I hear a Billy Cobham influence in his playing but where Billy had a little bit of slop (not a slam it was because he was pushing the boundrys and believed in preserving the integrity of the live performance) Neil strived to nail every part exactly the same every time. I have so much to thank this man for he has filled me with joy listening to his playing. He made me want to become a drummer I have only been playing 5 yrs but have been airdrumming since I can remember because of him. Also he has been an inspiration to me in life to continue drumming with the passion he has after the horrible tragedies in his life ( he lost his wife and daughter in the same year) drives me to overcome any obstacles in my life. Alot of people would say he is busy and doesnt play in the pocket but if you listen closley you will notice that he has a great ability to use space and not crowd the beat at all the appropriate moments. Imo the whole drumming world is a better place because of him.

Couldnt of said it any better jason...Neil Peart is AMAZING!!!! He plays every single thing EXACTLY like the songs, And thats one thing i love about him. I think that shows true musicianship when you can play a song over and over again the same as the recording. His drum solos are also amazing too! I got the Rush live in Reo, and that solo is breath taking(especially when he gets on the electronic drum set). Rush is known for awesome guitar riffs, and crazy singing...but most of ALL, Neil Pearts Drumming!!!

i have his work in progress dvd and he is such a down to earth nice guy. he has good advice but he seems so different from what i expected. how could the frowning drumming machine with the vicious fills and chops of rush be a gentleman and a scholar?

i have his work in progress dvd and he is such a down to earth nice guy. he has good advice but he seems so different from what i expected. how could the frowning drumming machine with the vicious fills and chops of rush be a gentleman and a scholar?

j

I have the DVD as well. The man is VERY intellegent. I started to read his book "Ghost Rider", which i believe was written because of the tragedy of his wife and daughter, but had to leave the book store. Great drummer, but further more a Great man! I am a better drummer because of him.

That's part of Peart's playing. You can't just go to a concert and expect the band to improvise and change every song on their set. Sometimes it's good just to hear what you're hearing on the CD. You get a sense of familiarity with it. For example, a certain fill or something small like a triplet in a ride pattern. Neil Peart is a perfectionist in his playing. You can't dislike him just because he chooses and remembers to play every exact note on a CD. It's irrational. Not every drummer has to change what they're playing, for a concert.

well i think that i can choose what i like and dislike about just about everything thank you very much. And im not saying that you have to change everythig about every song. But when i pay 60 dollars to go see a concert, i want a little more than what i got back in my cd player. Not saying that the CD isnt good, but hell i could just put a CD on, close my eyes and pretend i was there if its going to be the exact same. Led Zeppelin, Santana,Floyd, The Who, and a ton of other bands will go out on like 10 minute jam sessions, and sometimes even more on some songs. You really hear what a band can really do, their not restricted to a 40 Minute double sided record. I dunno, just my opinion.

I've been a fan of opera my whole life. One of my favorites is The Marriage of Figaro (Le Nozze di Figaro). Iíve listened to it so many times over the years on tape that I know almost every note by heart. One year for my birthday, my girlfriend bought tickets for us to see The Marriage of Figaro at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion is Los Angeles. We were young, and not rich, and we were probably the only couple there who didn't drive up in a luxury car. The place was beautiful, and the seats were great. The lights dimmed, the music started, and I was transported.

The opening scene takes place in the bedroom that will be shared by Figaro and Sussana after their wedding. Figaro is on his knees measuring the space that will be occupied by the nuptial bed. He calls out the numbers "Cinque... dieci.... venti... trenta!" exactly as I had heard them hundreds of times before, and I felt a thrill seeing the expression on his face while the familiar words were called out.

On and on the evening went, all the words exactly as I knew they would be, but now living things; all of the notes perfectly played by the orchestra. When the curtain fell for the last time the crowd was on its feet. This classic piece of musical theater had been executed faultlessly by a group of talented artists who realized that perfection is sometimes best expressed through perfect reproduction.

When I saw Rush in concert many years ago, the songs were performed with amazing precision. I was astounded at how closely the music matched the memories I had of all of times I had listened to the albums and heard the singles on the radio. Many bands riff and vamp. Many bands actually suck live and only achieve greatness through digital manipulation and post-production editing. Lightening, it is said, cannot strike the same place twice. Rush can strike home, with laser-like accuracy, over and over. Not all art is made better through riffing and improv. Some art is perfect just the way it is. I am thankful that Neil Peart has the ability to play my thoughts and memories just the way they are in my mind and heart.

The time changes in the Rush music and the odd patterns make it very hard to improvise in this music. There are also numerous sequences and animations incorporated into a Rush show that would make it impossible to improvise. I also must admit that some times it is fun to hear a band improvise but I've heard several bootlegs by some of the bands mentioned that IMO were not very impressive. I've never seen a Rush show (which I've done 13 times) or heard a live recording bootleg or otherwise by rush that wasnt amazing. See IMO the problem with improvising is that it can lead to Doodleing which IMO isnt really that awesome. The Song Remains the Same is a good example of a show that demonstrates Improv at a very high level. BTTM it certainly is your right not to like a drummer for this reason but IMO your missing out on some great music and drumming because of this. Nutha I strongly suggest you see Rush the next time they are around the last 4 times I've seen them they have played 3 plus hours of very high intensity music. See thats what amazes me so much about them theyre 50 plus years old and they jamm the donkey off for over 3 hours as much as I love a band like Tool which I really do the live show was only about an hour and a half.

thats why i dislike him, its like why would you want to go to a concert and listen to the SAME thing you would hear on the CD, i dunno, its kinda boring.

to me that just shows his intellect with music. to play every note like how you recorded it so long ago. 2112 ?? insane haha. to me improve is always welcome in my book, but i think sometimes it's the lazy way out haha. cause your band could be groovin like you wrote it, then space out at play something totally different. but then again, when it fits it fits and i'm down with it.
peace

Well being RUSH's Self proclaimed number one fan having seem them 23 times and counting. Neil Peart is I think the most influential drummer instead of Bonham, only because there isn't a drummer who hasn't air drummed to YYZ or the opening to Spirit Of Radio...LOL And once they broke on the scene everyone wanted to be Neil Peart. I read that the first time he was in Modern Drummer. Not to say Bonham wasn't influential because he was, but when you hear of Led Zeppelin you think of Jimy Page and Robert Plant first. But when you hear of RUSH, Neils is the first name you think about.

I have everything they have ever done on CD, VIDEO, DVD including all of their solo projects (Alex's CD, Geddy's CD and Neil's Burning for Buddy Rich CD).

I have always felt that this is the best trio in rock music. And what makes them stand out is their precision to carry out the tunes like they were written in the studio or live. They do improvise sometimes and do things different in some songs, so whoever said they didn't clearly hasn't watched them enough. Limelight is my absolute favorite Rush tune and if they ever changed it to sound different in concert I would be dissapointed.

I'm a huge Living Colour fan and William Calhoun fan, but the first time I saw them live, they overplayed so much it kind of got boring because their individual playing abilities seemed to be the focus, instead of their songs.

Neil may not be the most impressive visually technically sound drummer as far as a Thomas Lang, Marco Minneman or even Mike Portnoy, BUT all of them were heavily influenced by his perfection in his craft and his dedication to his instrument. The man went so far to change his playing style by studying with Freddy Gruber and his kit set-up to make himself better, how many of us would rededicate ourselves to re-learning how to play the drums after playing them the same way for years? Not many...

Whoever said he was boring, really does not have an appreciation for his drumming technique in my humble opinion.

Neil Peart will go down as the most recognizable drummer around for all musicians not just drummers. We all know the drummers but the hearing public and other musicians know who Neil Peart is. My two best budds have no idea who Buddy Rich, Steve Gadd or Dennis Chamber are, but ask them to name any drummer they would say Neil Peart and I love when others say that guy from Rush...LOL They may not know his name but they know who he is, that my friends is influence.!!

Living in the limelight
The universal dream
For those who wish to seem
Those who wish to be
Must put aside the alienation
Get on with the fascination
The real relation
The underlying theme

I could agree with that somewhat Stu when Signals came out I stopped listening to Rush for awhile. IMO they had become soft and commercial so Iron Maiden became my favorite band for years. But I found after a decade I went back and discovered that I liked quite a few of the songs but not the whole albums. That was untill I heard Test for Echo and Vapor Trails. Test for Echo is a wonderful album in which Peart plays with a finess and grace that I hadnt heard in his drumming before not better but different which was refreshing. Vapor Trails was a whole new story possibly the heaviest Rush music ever and strangley some of the most groove oriented at the same time. If you havent listened to these albums ever or in awhile I suggest that you do I think you will be suprised they are both great albums and very different for Rush.

Stu-Strib, so your saying from Power Windows which was released in 1985 and beyond has been horrifying? Just a suggestion I would really listen again. I wasn't totally thrilled with Roll the Bones CD, but it grew on me. As far as every other album within that time frame I think has been great Presto is an awesome album because it was the first time they went back to playing stripped down and not alot of sythesizers. I haven't got a chance to pick up their new album Feedback yet but I will.

As far as lyrics you should really read alot of them because Neil Peart writes incredible lyrics. All of their songs are truly about something. Most bands today lyrics are very weak in comparision.

And every band changes with the time, that's just the way it is. Motley Crue, Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, Living Colour ( whose last album was just awful!) all of them sound nothing like they did when they first came out if Led Zeppelin was still around their sound would have changed as well. And all of those bands I mentioned above have produced crap music since the late 90's or 00's. Even my latest favorite bands like Tool since 1993 and Sevendust since 1997 have changed the way they sound. Rush has produced 18 albums not including lives ones ( 29 in all) and still have a tremendous following. They didn't suffer the death that most hair bands did who are now only playing 500 seat venues because no one really wants to see them anymore. The TRUE Rush faithful has and will always remain. Come back to the dark side STU!!!...LOL

PS
What still amazes me the most is they did not replace members since Neil took over for John Rustey after their very first album, and that is dedication to each other and shows the true strength of a band survivng and changing with the times.

Grace Under Pressure was the last album of theirs I enjoyed. I keep waiting with bated breath. They really "jumped the shark" with that Aimee Mann tune.

Actually, the albums I am most disappointed with are Roll the Bones, Test for Echo and Vapor Trails.

I agree it is truly amazing that they have been together all this time, and I love the Rush Live in Rio DVD, because it has all the good tunes.

I guess, for me, they went away from their initial sound with these three albums, and I don't feel they really could pull it off. These records sound so out of place with current music, whereas up to 1985 or so, the music is timeless.

Summertime Blues is just an abomination. Such great musicians, and they put this out?

Again, disgruntled Rush fan (for 20 years now!) Regardless, the stuff up to 1985'ish is some of the best rock music ever recorded, and we can never take that away, even if they do a Brittney Spears cover album next ;-)

Yes we are, but I truly respect your opinion that's what forums are about! I agree with you to some point I wish they could have stayed more in the Moving Pictures, Signals era but they would not have survived the changing of the times. That's why hair bands of the 80's died off.

Roll the Bones I'll give you..

Test For Echo was great to me...If you watch Neils DVD you may appreciate it more because he plays every tune on there and explains how he came up with the drum parts for it and they weren't read, He played them by feel...(had to throw one in :)

Vapor Trails I really like it has some of their late 70's style riffs and sounds going.

But being a RUSH fan takes alot because I know alot of people can't get past Geddy's voice but I love the guys!

I find a bit of cheesiness to some of Rush's music, but I enjoy them a lot anyway.
Neil is definetly a favourite of mine, and he has had one effect on my playing I've really noticed: when I first got my china cymbal I basically used it as an alternate crash, but after listening to "The Professor" it's been rarely used on downbeats.

just a moderator's salute here to Stu_Strib and jamsjr44. these are two members who have disagreed in the past. in this thread they show a perfect example of how we can vociferously disagree in a mature way. these kind of supported respectful arguments are instructive and valuable to our forum. there is a wry sense of humour and plenty of evidence that they read eachother's comments carefully. respect to you both and ... more of the same.

thanks for the compliments. The reason I like this forum is because people make good reasonable arguments instead of the usual "your stupid" or "he sucks" statments like they do on other forums. As much as I am for free speech it is nice to have a good well thought out disagreement.

So thanks to you guys (Dogbreath, Bernhard and the other moderators) for the keeping the forums clean and forcing people to think about what they want to say before they post it.

And for those of you who says someone sucks, think about it WE ALL DID at some point or another. And if you are talking about professional drummers then at least they are getting paid to travel the world, playing in the best venues, with the best musicians, and with the best FREE equipment to SUCK! While we sit here discussing them wishing we were in that situation

Who here has been to a Rush concert? I have once, the 30th anniversery tour, and it was unbelieivelby good(excuse the spelling). Neil Peart has to be one of the most talented drummers that has ever lived. I haven't been to many concerts (Incubus[2],vince neil,poison,skid row,HIM,) but nothing could have topped that show. The whole band was so tight and on all night. Nothing could ever be like that performance. How many of you have seen Neil in the flesh? What was it like? I always wondered how he graced the stage in the earlier days of Rush. Share your expericnes! I knew the second i layed eyes on that DW set it was going to be sweet.

I first saw Rush on their Power Windows tour ('85) and have seen them on each subsequent tour after that (I think that makes eight shows in all). Neil has always done a wonderful job staying true to his original drum parts when playing live. He plays with incredible intensity, yet always keeps a calm look on his face which has become one of his trademarks. I've noticed his solos have become more elaborate in the last ten years or so. It used to be part of a medley but now they've become songs by themselves. Neil's style and kit have evolved somewhat in the past 25 years I've seen him, but he's always produced very inspired drumming.

He definently puts on a great performance, but quite frankly, I was more impressed when I saw Dennis Chambers play with Santana. I'm probably going to be castrated for what I'm about to say, but I've been finding Neil's drum solo's repetetive and boring as of late too. I know he can come up with something different, but it's virtually been the same formula for his solo since the Roll the Bones tour.

Snare/Rudiment
Toms with foot tambourine trigger
Snare/Rudiments again
Toms again
Midi Marimba
Back to the toms
cowbells for a few seconds
electronic kit
toms
jazz ending

I havent been exposed to a lot of drum solos. Peart's solo is the only one I have seen live. I really would like to see some other drummers like Chambers, Gadd, etc..ya know? That would be cool. This site exposed me to a lot. I had never heard of dennis chambers but i just saw one of his vids today on here and im like, whoa. He is awsome. I need to broden(ick) my horizons.

I saw Rush on their 30th Anniversary Tour a little over a year ago. And it was the first show of the tour in Nashville. I have a bootleg copy of the concert, and I love listening to it because Neil Peart was the first drummer I ever really liked (of course you could say the same for any other younger drummer starting out). He's got great intensity and is hella tight with his drumming. But Geddy Lee told us that night that since it was the first show of the tour, if we heard any mess-ups to just ignore them.

And Geddy was right to tell us that, because during the show "Earthshine", and I have a recording of it to prove it, Peart accidentally "overplayed" a fill and, wouldn't you know it, missed the 1 count. He recovered just fine, but it goes to show that even the best make mistakes sometimes.

And kazzman, I get what you're saying about Peart's solo structure, but I can only agree with you to a certain extent. While he does follow the same formula and structure in his solos, he does mix things up and add/subtract things so that even if it's the same formula, he's not playing the exact same solo from the last tour or even the last show note for note. In fact, the solo he played at the show I saw actually BEGAN with his electronic kit section, before moving on to the snare rudiments and foot tamborine trigger stuff.

I havent been exposed to a lot of drum solos. Peart's solo is the only one I have seen live. I really would like to see some other drummers like Chambers, Gadd, etc..ya know? That would be cool. This site exposed me to a lot. I had never heard of dennis chambers but i just saw one of his vids today on here and im like, whoa. He is awsome. I need to broden(ick) my horizons.

I saw Dennis Chambers play in London with Mike Stern a few years back. He did a solo which had the audience literally screaming in disbelief. Not entirely my cup of tea (either Mike Stern or Dennis' approach to soloing) but he's a mean drummer.

If you want to see choppy stuff, go have a look at the video of Morgen Agren here on Drummerworld and then try to track down the whole Trum video with Fredrik Thordendal playing rhythm guitar. It's something to see.

Other than that, I'd recommend checking out the solo on the start of "Agitation" by Miles Davis on "E.S.P". Even after all this time it still sounds fresh and the tone of the drums and cymbals is amazing. I've got a few other solos I like, but that's an all-time great.

EDIT: Oops, forgot to mention that last one was Tony Williams. Go get it!

Neil and Rush are possibly the biggest influence on my playing. While other kids were listening to new kids on the block and mc hammer I was busy jamming along too exit stage left. So, Thanks for everything Neil.

However, Over my "more adult years" I have been influenced by a number of different drummers. and I would have to say Neil would agree that he's no BuddyRich, Either way he's close infact, On the wall next to my computer there are two framed pictures I recieved from my Wife. One is Buddy Rich and the other Is the Professor.

I agree, Neil Peart has eanred the name Professor, because he is really awsome, i know im only 15 but i basically grew up listenen to Rush, so they're my fav. all time band, i kinda grew into them because my dad always played them, iv seen them twice in concert, not many, but enuff, i was all smiles those two night though! they ROCKED!

I think he is the best drummer ever, in his own way. This might seem outlandish, but it comes from him being my first exposure to a superstar drummer, yet that impression persists through today. He's like a machine, inhuman almost with his precision. Such an inspiration to me as well. I remember being little and listening to the solo on Tom Sawyer, and just thinking, that's how a rock solo should sound. I was in absolutely awe, and that was the first time for me being in awe at a drummer He can play the simplest thing, and make it sound totally out of this world. I don't know how he does it. Like the sixteenth notes on the solo in Tom Sawyer, the ghost notes in YYZ (I don't know exactly where), and mostly, his choice of fills and where he puts them. It all seems so perfect, like he knows exactly what's going on. It's so cool.

Yes he is a machine, but like someone else said, that detracts from his playing. He's a great drummer, perhaps too great? hehe

Also, Live in Rio, man it was hard to watch him play...He looks like a 90 year old man fighting through arthritis.

I also don't share the same 'verve' Neil does for drum electronics. I heard him say something like electronics are the best thing ever, because you have every sound available....that's a slippery slope, because the next step is Pro Tools and a drum machine. How much would that suck to see Peart diminished to a Pro Tools engineer and drum machine sequencer?

Neil and Rush are the biggest influences in my playing as well. I know it sounds weird because im only 16, but after going to the concert in brazil and singing along to tom sawyer with 80,000+ fans it truly was an unforgetable experience

Well, I'm a few days late on the accolades of Mr. Peart, but I have to chime in as well.

I'm 41 and have been a Peart and Rush fan since I can remember. Having only been playing my own kit for 5 years or so, I would say he is the influence that got me started and will keep me trying to improve. He's accurate, fast and perfect in all he plays. When I just joined up with you all here a few days ago, his was the first video I watched on this site. I'll keep watching and trying to get to that level. It may be somewhat insurmountable for me as a goal, but hey, it's a goal nonetheless.

i just saw that animated video, and i have to admit pretty cool. Tell you the truth i have never payed attention to neil, but im starting to really notice him now. I have always respected him, as i do every drummer, but now im really starting to notice.